Hooded crows (Corvus cornix) manufacture objects relative to a mental template

Area of Science:

• Cognitive ethology
• Animal behavior
• Comparative psychology

Background:

• Goffin cockatoos and New Caledonian crows can manufacture objects from a mental template.
• This ability may explain the transmission of natural tool designs in New Caledonian crows.
• Hooded crows are intelligent birds not specialized in tool use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if Hooded crows possess the ability to manufacture objects based on a mental template.
• To determine if this cognitive capacity extends to a non-tool-specialized corvid species.

Main Methods:

• Hooded crows were presented with template objects varying in color and size.
• Birds were rewarded for selecting templates matching specific criteria.
• Their ability to manufacture objects mimicking these templates was then tested.

Main Results:

• Hooded crows matched the color of the manufactured objects to the rewarded template.
• Crucially, they also manufactured objects closer in size to the rewarded templates.
• This occurred even when reward conditions were randomized, indicating template-based manufacturing.

Conclusions:

• Hooded crows demonstrate the ability to manufacture objects according to a mental template.
• This cognitive skill is present in bird species not specialized in tool-making.
• The findings suggest a broader cognitive capacity for template-based manufacturing across diverse avian species.